Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-04-17
No 222


lie was n Snialt RIHl hiani WV" So
comeliness about him, and as lean as a
volume OF minor poetry. When on
narsde with the other prisoners, he
hiched minis left shoulder in manner
that gave offence 20 the deputy COVER
nor: and in his prison clothes wnich
6t,cd him indiffcrently. he looked as
awkward as A man who has just been
sentenced TO be hanged. To be sure
he had an eye Of very piercing quailty'
and a habit OF fixing It with disquieting
effect upon pcraous who addressed hlm
hrusouely or with unnecessary harsh
ness and this power Of the eye appears
10 have been the chief cause OF the
offence which the shave and gentle con-
yict had GIVEN 10 the warders of the
paol
fbc prisoner had summoned TO ms cen
enc night, on some trivial occaslon,
told his brother officers IN the mess
,,cm aftcrward that there was some
thing In the look of No. ODD which he
"conldnt make out, and couldn't
stand" wher6upon divers other warders
confessed to having felt n similar IN
Guence in The presence Of No. DID.
Strange. too. that his fellow-prisoners
as well as the wardcrs made similar adj
missions 10 one another touching the
eject which bad been exercised on them
Nv The eve or the presence OF No. 2l2.
(ue said that he felt cold, another that
Lc felt ducer, whenever No. ~ was
neor him third that he had an itch
irC sensation in his leg, and fourth
fiat lie had the shivers down the BACK.
More remarkable still were the expe-
rieuccs recountcd 10y the convict who
boJ set on the LEFT hand OF No.
90 al meal times. This man told his
friends lin terms which would be intel
hcible only TO readers who had served
Their time - that he had been moved 10y
an unaccountablc impulse to share his
bread n. dinner with the nelghbor on
his right though he wanted the bread
himself and didn't like the look OF %
his nciphbors eve. For whole week
lie resisted the impulse, and then sue
cumbcd. passing half his bread over &c
no. 222. who took it, and thanked him,
and ate IT.
Ev and by like story was told 10y
tie prisoner, whose place during meals
was al the night hand of No. ODD. An
impulse seized him at dinner to share
lis mutton with the man on his lett
and be obeyed it, though he could mo-
sav wl,v, for he never got as much NUT
ton as be wanted. and he hated the eye
Of No. 30.
40. 222 was a man named JOIN
NcGihbon who had passed into prison
as the result Of an ingenious but unsnc
cessiul attempt to pay old debts in
INV way. Being of a genuine pmlo
sorlic temperament, he bowed re
N1u,dlv TO the inevitable, and made
iuee,f as comfortable as he could
buonost his relaxations were the occa
FDal visits of the chaplain, fat an'
,lcp,aut man, who would listeu with ~
fr,f surprise while the prisoner toi'
n. many strange tricks in CARDS, an'
tlc profits that might proceed iron
TIE skilml manipulation of II doubl
1atk. Not infrequently the chaplain
oissented from the prisoners views OF
eerd-play1ng. nnd on these occasion
No. 222 would reply that when he al
luded TO tie conccalmont OF aces III Tn
sleeve Of an experienced player he dl'
not suggest that bis nearer should resor
10 such practices. His object WAS mere
" 10 expound the possibilities of an Al
Of which he desired that the chaplai
should never become the victim
knowledge, even of this pecula
kind" he said, "mGy be OF service
SIR. 70 the best of us, IN circumstance
which can never be foretoid. Some
times the chaplain was supposed to g
I'D and 90 while one Of these discourse
was in progress, hut rs often as he al
temrted this glance from the prison
er's eve drew him to his seat AGAIN
and he was powcrless to move until n
felt that the prisoner by his own WI
released him. Thus ule chaplain WI
also drawn within the Influence OF thi
mysterious eye.
Extraordinary things began to hal
pen in the prison, and it became eV
dent that the internal order OF tn
establishment was less strictly Kept tina
before. This made for the comfort
the prisoners and for the discomfort
the officers.
More than once the warder who
duty il Was TO ring the bell for rlslI
was half an hour late at his post III
prisoners slept agreeably during tn
half hour. but very bad quarter OF .
hour was subsequently experienced
IL. ..,@,f,off,,i vyorlpr
The chaplain had a well-meant b
tedious habit of expanding his Sund'
snmon; al at once he became ve,
pleasantly brief, yet it seemed that /
ireyitv was quite involuntary, for
would stop short and pronounce ben
dictior in the very middle of an arg
mcnt.
Curious things happened to warde
who had made themselves unpopul
among the prisoners They went
seep quite early in the afternoon VIII
presiding over gang in the worksho
they forgot how to count their men
paIsde they shouldered their rifles !!
side down they made pointless JOB
in the p osence of the deputy govern.
which he greatly disliked they carr
prisoners for punishment before I
Governor and did not remember wi
tlev had charged them with.
Several of the warders laid tn
heads together in the mess-room, u
said they believed No. 222 was
source Of all this mischief. III
agreed thereupon that the life of t
prisoner must bc made a burden
him. that he might cease to exerc
his diabolical powers to the injury
the warders.
Now in this prison they had fey
tie. foolish way of annoying the prs
ers by ordering them down stairs
have their hair cut. 1t was a form
persecution which no one resen
more than No. 222, whose hair
been in happier days his chief perso
vanity. His interse dislike TO co
under the shears of the prison bar
(who always made what he calle'
"npooth Job" of his victims he
was known to an assistant warder, '
laid his plans accordingly; and hav
ms Gang about him in the tailor $ re
ON the afternoon following the dis
sion in the mess-room, he presei
called out
5000 tate Yer stool and 60 dC